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August 19, 2011

Gun silencers/sound suppressors, or “muzzle cans”, for tactical firearms have been an area of interest for DefenseReview (DR) for a long time, now, and we’re happy to report that there’s an interesting new kid on the block called Silencerco, LLC that DR came accross at SHOT Show 2011. I remember cracking up immediately upon seeing a giant white sign containing only the company name and logo and the following quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the Gods.

The reason I laughed upon reading the above quote, aside from the fact that a gun silencer/sound suppressor company was quoting a true literary giant, intellectual, and transcendentalist for marketing purposes, is that I was actually forced to read Emerson while I was in school (benefits of a private school education that included a focus on classic American writers and literature). The quote was taken from an essay on friendship, appropriately titled “Friendship“, published in Emerson’s first series of essays in 1841.

I don’t think I have to explain why a quote about friendship is highly ironic when used as an advertising tool for tactical firearm silencers. As it happens, I enjoy irony, and I really like silencers! Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to conduct an on-camera interview at the booth to find out who’s idea it was to use the quote, but we did shoot some photos of their products, as you can see.

Frankly, any silencer company that quotes Emerson has to be a little bit different, and Silencerco certainly is. That’s evident in the shape of their products. Silencerco specializes in “eccentric” “brick”-style rectangular polygonal firearm suppressors for tactical pistols (9mm Parabellum/9x19mm NATO, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP), rifles/carbines/SBRs (Short Barreled Rifles), and PDWs (Personal Defense Weapons). Defense Review photographed a 300 AAC Blackout AR SBR outfitted with a Silencerco 9Osprey can while we were at the booth. The company is also developing a 5.56mm NATO/.223 Rem. can , and we can only assume they’re at least working on a 7.62mm/.308 Win. can, as well. The only prior experience Defense Review has had with rectangular-format suppressors is with the Gemtech “Brick” 4.6mm suppressor that we ran on a HK MP7A1 PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) (4.6x30mm) at NDIA Infantry Small Arms Systems Symposium 2007 in Virginia Beach, VA.

The primary purpose of Silencerco pistol suppressors’ “eccentric” rectangular polygonal shape is to bring the majority of the suppressor’s volume below the pistol’s bore line (barrel), so you can use the factory/standard pistol sights. The added benefit is that you can, at least theoretically, holster and carry the weapon (pistol) in the same/standard open-bottom holster with the suppressor still attached. Silencerco’s 9mm/.40 S&W./.45 ACP suppressor is called the Silencerco Osprey (9Osprey, 40Osprey, and 45Osprey, respectively), which would appear to be Silencero’s rectangular equivalent of the AAC Ti-RANT pistol silencer line. Advanced Armament Corp. (AAC) has been kicking ass and taking names in the muzzle can business for awhile now, and their Ti-RANT pistol silencers are no exception. They’re excellent, but some healthy competition is a good thing, and the Osprey can provides just that.

Silencerco also makes a .22 LR suppressor called the 22Sparrow that utilizes patent-pending Multi-Part Containment (MPC) technology, which allows it to be quickly and easily disassembled for maintenance. According to the company’s website, the Silencerco Osprey “contains approximately 30% more internal volume than a traditional round tube silencer at the same length, but does so without obscuring the shooter’s sight picture or adding excessive width and length.”

The Silencerco Osprey silencer/sound suppressor utilizes a patent-pending cam lever locking and indexing system to allow the shooter to time the silencer to any host pistol. Osprey mounting instructions are as follows: “To mount, simply thread the Osprey on the muzzle just as you would a traditional silencer with the cam lever in the locked position. When the Osprey shoulders, hand tighten to ensure a tight fit then release the cam lever and rotate the Osprey to the proper orientation. Finally, move the cam lever back to the locked position. The Osprey will return to this index point for subsequent mountings until you change the host pistol or remove the piston assembly for cleaning.”

Silencerco has thought through every last detail on the Osprey, including where to place its serial number. Silencerco designed the Osprey for quick repairs and “placed the serial number on the part least likely to be damaged by baffle strike or other mishaps. Warranty repairs are quick and easy.”

DefenseReview doesn’t yet know what Silencerco’s developmental 5.56mm NATO/.223 muzzle can (pictured above left) is called, or whether or not it will be able to handle heavy/high-round-count full-auto fire. A proper test would be to see if the Silencerco 5.56mm suppressor can work reliably and durably (i.e., hold up and not blow up) for the duration of a 5-day Falcon Security Group (FSG) select-fire/full-auto SBR (Short Barreled Rifle/Sub-Carbine course, which the FSG operator/instructors conduct using Ferfrans SOAR-P (Piston) gas piston/op-rod (push-type operating rod) tactical AR SBRs. DR wouldn’t mind getting a Silencerco 5.56mm can into their hands for testing, if the FSG instructors would be willing to run it through a course.

DR would also like to run Silencerco’s muzzle cans for ourselves. Perhaps we’ll get that opportunity soon. So far, we’ve only run AAC, Gemtech, and Ops Inc. cans at the range.

Finally, we should note that end-user feedback on Silencerco’s products and customer service has been very positive on the tactical firearms boards. “Fireman1291″ from M4Carbine.net states in the M4Carbine.net thread titled “SilencerCo eccentric silencers”, “Silencerco builds one hell of a suppresser with most likely THE BEST customer service in the biz. The [sic] stand behind thier product 100%.” Even Kevin Brittingham from AAC has positive things to say about the Osprey. In the same thread, Brittingham states: It is a good product that uses good technology and provides good sound suppression. Choose it or our Ti-Rant. Everything else is honestly a few years behind.” When your competitor is complementing your product, it’s gotta’ be pretty good. “glocktogo” compliments both AAC and Silencerco products, stating “Major Malfunctions Munitions is the largest suppressor dealer in the nation. He is the #1 dealer for Silencerco & AAC. I helped him run a NFA day shoot at the United States Shooting Academy last spring. As the CRO, I got to hear a LOT of cans side by side on multiple platforms. Kevin is correct in that the Osprey and Ti-Rant are head & shoulders above the rest. From there it just depends on whether you want a traditional tube or an eccentric.”

“True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment.” William Penn

“Silence is the universal refuge, the sequel to all dull discourses and all foolish acts, a balm to our every chagrin, as welcome after satiety as after disappointment.” Henry David Thoreau.

Tactical gun nut NUTNFANCY has a good two-part video on Silencerco suppressors. You can watch it below:

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.